1851
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Leaving the Forest, Fontainebleau: Setting Sun is a 1851 unspecified by Théodore Rousseau, a Barbizon school work, depicting Forest, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A golden sun dips behind tall pines in a quiet French wood. Shadows stretch long across the path. One red-clad figure walks away from us into the fading light. Rousseau painted this in 1851. He loved forests and light like this. Most artists made forests busy. He left them almost empty, letting the trees speak for themselves. See how the light picks out the path. Rousseau used soft edges where sun meets shadow. That’s called sfumato. Look up Théodore Rousseau (French, 1812–1867).
Étienne Pierre Théodore Rousseau (French pronunciation: ; 15 April 1812 – 22 December 1867) was a French painter of the Barbizon school.
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